Amuto: Twisted Destinies
by ladydoctor
Summary: Really, I thought that was the end of it: 'I'm going to college.' Bam! Broken heart, tears and eventually new, adorable boyfriend. After that, I thought my life would, for once, be predictable. I should have known better. SIDE NOTE: please review!
1. Ikuto?

**Author's Note: Hiya! I know I wrote this story like this before, but I felt the need to rewrite it, considering I've been observing writing techniques and stuff. I want to be a writer and if I ever become famous, I'll make sure to thank all of my reviewers on , ok? So please review.  
**

**(Amu POV)**

The darkness of the night engulfed me as I struggled to keep from crying. Why? Stupid, stupid Amu.

Well, perhaps it wasn't entirely my fault; after all, love fades right? You can get over your first love can't you? The electricity and chemistry and all the feelings can disappear, definitely; right?

I loved Tadase; I managed to fall sweetly in love with him once Ikuto was out of the city, and more importantly, out of my mind. Blissfully happy, I agreed to move in with him with I was 18.

I zipped up my jacket and stuffed my hands in my pockets; despite my ability to hold them back, tears had begun to roll off my cheeks.

Quickly, I slumped down onto a nearby bench to gather my thoughts, as I had been doing since that day.

**(Flashback).**

**Casually, Amu picked up the remote control, making the volume louder; the apartment building next door was under construction, so her and Tadase's flat was under constant noise.**

**Placing another potato chip in her mouth, she smiled at her boyfriend as he walked through the door; she noticed something was wrong when he simply looked away.**

"**You okay?" she asked, turning off the television.**

"**Y-yeah," his voice cracked, "A-Amu, this isn't working.."**

**She froze. Perhaps she heard him wrong –perhaps he meant the TV wasn't working, or maybe he was referring to the fact that Amu said she would find a job but hadn't so far, considering her internship, and was simply commenting on what she was doing –after all, watching TV really isn't working; whatever, he **_**couldn't **_**have meant what she thought he did. Could he?**

"**W-What?" she said lamely.**

"**I-I'm sorry," he said desperately; to be frank, he hadn't changed much, he was still kind and gentle –maybe a bit more assertive, but he was always worried about hurting others and had a habit of trying to please everyone.**

"**You... you're... breaking up w-with me?" I croaked.**

"**I'm sorry," he said again, reaching out the me and rubbing my arms; his touch was familiar and warm –it made my stomach drop, the thought of never being able to have it the same way again, "I-If it helps, I've packed for you."**

**I turned to look at the brown boxes and my pink suitcase neatly displayed outside our room. The boxes were carefully labelled: books, decorations, clothes, towels and sheets, etc.**

**I smiled; it was just so typical of Tadase.**

"**T-Thanks."I said.**

**He returned the smile, seeming glad that I appreciated his effort, "I know you hate packing."**

**(End of Flashback).**

That was the last time I saw Tadase; two weeks ago.

His last words to me seemed to really pull at my heartstrings; he really _did _know me.

All those years I spent trying to make him see me for more than simply Amulet Heart, now they seemed useless; it was like when I fell for him, finally after being left in the air, he reached out and caught me. It was like after all that, he just dropped me to the floor again.

I guess you could say I was fine; I was living with one of my best friends, my internship was great and I was a 19-year-old pretty girl living in Osaka.

It seemed silly crying over a guy I was already getting over when I was _with _him. Sitting on that bench, I buried my face in my hands and cried; partially for the ache in my chest, partially to just cry over everything I've ever wanted to cry over but stopped myself: my charas leaving, Ikuto leaving, everything.

After inhaling and exhaling a few times, I calmed down. Sniffing and snivelling, I hugged my arms as a breeze blew against me. I saw the feet of a dark figure approach and come to halt in front of me. Somehow they seemed familiar.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze towards the face of said figure; instantly I recognised him.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart stopped beating and my mind froze. He seemed to be just as surprised to see me, his eyes wide; suddenly all I could utter was his name:

"I-Ikuto?"

**A/N: I'm not gonna call it a cliffy 'cos I mean, c'mon, who could have not seen that coming? REVIEWS SMELL THE BEST, XOXO.**


	2. It's A Date

Author's Note: I'm glad I've decided to rewrite this, 'cos it's brilliant fun and I find Amuto fics the easiest to write. Review!  


(Amu POV)

I was suddenly oblivious to the cold wind swirling around us and the rustle it made in the leaves of the trees of the park; suddenly, I was warm. Ikuto's eyes filled me with memories of nights where we would simply lie down and gaze into each other's eyes; I used to want to know what he was thinking when we looked at each other for so long, his eyes so full of depth.

He really hadn't changed; he was still slim, but not scrawny and weak; you could tell he was strong under his black jeans and navy t-shirt. His hair had a slightly different cut, but not so much that you could tell from a distance. The main thing I noticed, was that he was much taller.

Regardless of the minor changes, he was still Ikuto; the same Ikuto that shared my heart with Tadase so many years ago; the very same one who snapped his half in pieces when he declared he was going to college when I was 15 –it was Tadase who slowly took over.

A nostalgic feeling washed over me as I realised we were exactly the same way we were years ago: me, lost in his blue orbs, while he studied my golden ones.

Forever Ikuto, he ruined the moment the same way he would have, had we been standing there before he left; he smirked.

"Yo." He said simply, "Y'alright?" he added, as if we were school buddies seeing each other again on a Monday morning after a weekend of separation, instead of four years of no news from him at all, ever.

I remember looking out at my balcony, wondering if maybe he would walk around the corner; I lost count of the times I had walked through the musicians with their guitars folksy, cheerful music, hoping that I might hear the sad, beautiful melody of that violin once again; even when Tadase had re-constructed it, Ikuto still held a fragment of the pieces of my heart.

However, it suited Ikuto; the blunt greeting fitted him perfectly.

"Hey." I replied, avoiding to answer his question –I was so not alright.

"So... why're you crying?"

"Subtle." I commented sarcastically; wiping my eyes, I added, "I'm not crying."

"Right." He said, clearly not believing me.

The thing I liked about Ikuto the most was that he allowed silence to hover around in a conversation; also, the silence between us was never awkward. As neither of us said anything, I felt like I was at home.

"How've you been?" I asked, but really what I wanted to ask was, 'Where have you been?'

Ignoring my question, he looked to his left then to his right.

"What's the time?"

"Like, 7 o'clock. Why?" I said, frowning.

"You. Me. Dinner. Now." He said, taking my hand and leading me in a random direction, "I'm hungry."

"I've already eaten." I protested; people were staring –we looked like a couple.

"Then you can drink."

"I don't drink."

He stopped and turned to look at me then, raising one eyebrow. His mouth twitched slightly as he muttered, mostly to himself, "Still so childlike."

I glared at him, "I'm not a child Ikuto; I'm 19 now."

"And you don't drink?"

I grimaced, "Hangovers aren't fun; being drunk isn't either."

Somehow, between bickering and teasing, we managed to end up at a table for two at a local restaurant. I say local, but really it was elegant and grand. There was a gentle melody in the background –which belonged to a young blonde man, happily gliding away at the piano keys.

"Water." I told the waiter and quickly he scribbled it down. My mouth watered at the variety of foods present on the menu; exquisite French names and descriptions made it seem like you hadn't eaten until you had eaten at Snails and Lobsters.

"And..." I said hesitantly, glancing up at Ikuto; after all, he was paying. He nodded, "I'll have an, er... omelette doo fromayjay."

"Omelette du fromage?" he frowned at my pathetic French accent. I nodded and looked down, flushing with embarrassment. In front of me, I heard a chuckle.

As soon as the waiter excused himself, Ikuto leaned forward, resting his chin on one of his hands, and said, "You gonna tell me?"

I sipped at my water and blinked, "Tell you what?"

"The reason why you were crying."

It was impossible to ignore the heat rushing to my cheeks; for some reason, crying over Tadase seemed silly now; "No." I whispered.

"Tadase?" Despite the fact I regretted sobbing so hysterically over him, his name plunged through me, and suddenly made tears start prickling in my eyes; I guess I wasn't completely over him.

I refused to answer; Ikuto leaned back on his chair, "Huh."

My hands curled around my leather jacket as it rested on my lap; was it really obvious I got dumped? Was it printed on my forehead in capital letters?

"I thought you two were the kind of couple that met, then got married and in like, ten years, have adorable toddlers running around your big, house away from the city; or something."

The restaurant was so quiet, so much so that Ikuto spoke barely above a whisper, but I could still hear him perfectly; the only sound apart from the piano was the clink of glasses and the scrape of forks against plates.

"Me too." I admitted.

"So then... why did you dump him?"

Dump. It was such a harsh word; someone simply tossed aside like they were useless all of a sudden; "I didn't." I answered.

Understanding flashed through Ikuto's eyes; "Ah." He said blandly; after a few seconds of more quiet, he broke it.

"Sorry." He lamented.

I looked up and smiled at him sadly; it wasn't his fault, not even mine. In this situation, you really couldn't place the blame on someone, not even Tadase.

Coincidentally, our food arrived then. I tucked in as the delicious aroma of my omelette filled my mind; the menu's portrayal was mediocre compared to the taste that danced on my tongue.

As I looked up, I saw Ikuto was watching me curiously; "Is it good?" he said, a slightly amusing smirk plastered on his face.

I nodded feverishly; it was phenomenal.

"Thought you weren't hungry?"

"Yeah. But you're paying." I shrugged.

He snickered, "I guess that makes sense."

I smiled brightly at him for a second, then turned back to devour the omelette.

We sat quietly munching away at our meals and eventually I found myself walking along streets with Ikuto, window shopping and chatting about nothing.

"So... do you wanna do this again?" he asked, casually looking down at me; I nodded happily, grinning at him.

"Cool. When are you free?"

"Whenever. I barely have a social life."

"Not for long." He really looked at me then; his blue eyes smouldered and a gentle shiver built up and climb up my spine, "Tomorrow?" he asked, "6 o'clock?"

"'Kay."

"Cool," he repeated, "Where you do you live? I'll pick you up."

I pointed to the baby blue apartment block at the end of the street; he smiled mischievously once more, "Does it have a balcony?"

"Yeah."

"It's a date."

A/N: Awww! I love that last line so much. REVIEWS ARE BETTER THAN COOKIES, XOXO.


	3. Because I Love You

**A/N: I'm quite pissed off right now, because I wrote this exact chapter yesterday but I saved over it by accident; but, y'know, whatcha gonna do? This chapter is **_**very **_**Rimahiko -so for those who don't like the couple, you might wanna skip the flashbacks. Amuto and Kutau will be implied. REVIEEEW!**

**My brother suggested this translator for those of you who may have doubts, so yeah:**

**- Baka: stupid/idiot.**

**- Etto: erm/er.**

**- Gomen: sorry.**

**---**

**(Amu POV)**

I floated home that night; I was still grinning goofily and my heart was still beating uncontrollably as I unlocked the door and made my way inside.

"Amu!" I heard Rima yell as she appeared suddenly furious in front of me.

"Baka, baka, baka! Do you know what time it is?" she exploded, pacing around, "You say you're going for a walk at four o'clock and come back at nearly eight o'clock! Me and Nagi were so worried!"

It was hard not to laugh when Rima told me off -something that was made a daily chore since I'd moved in two weeks ago, mainly because despite the fact we got our growth spurts at the same time, she still remaind smaller, with the top of her head coming up to my chin.

"A-Ah, gomen, Rima-chan," I said sheepishly scratching the back of my head.

Very maternally, she sighed and shook her head, "Don't let it happen again," she told me sternly, "But if it does, **call**."

"Y-yes."

She eyed me suspiciously, crossing her arms. Luckily, Nagihiko appeared in the doorway between the living room and the corridor and interrupted the moment; he raised an arm and waved, "Yo."

Another event that changed all our lives, was when we were in eighth grade (or year 9): Nagihiko confessed to Rima.

**(Flashback)**

**"R-Rima!" he cried, running to catch up with her.**

**"What?" she asked bitterly, turning around; she was late for dinner, thanks to the last-minute guardian meeting, and her mum had called her hysterically, demanding where she was.**

**"W-well..." he began; where would he start? There weren't words for how he felt, not even actions. He just knew that he loved Rima, with all his heart. All day, he was attempting the seize her attention, to tell her how he felt.**

**She jerked as something in her cardigan pocket moved violently; it was her cellphone, vibrating frantically. Rima checked the caller ID and sighed: Mother.**

**Impatiently, she threw it in her bag.**

**"Look, Jack, I'm late and my mother wants to kill me; can we do this some other ti-"**

**"I like you!" he said desperately, in a rush; darn! That's wasn't what he wanted to say -he had rehearsed the whole day, roughly what he wanted to tell her.**

**She froze.**

**"W-what?!" she screeched, covering her face in her hands as she blushed furiously.**

**"I like you," he repeated, "A lot. And I don't care if you hate me, or Nadeshiko, or both of us, whatever. I don't mind, I'll wait; weeks, months or even years. I'll wait forever if I have to."**

**(End of Flashback)**

Unfortunately for Nagi, he was right: she did still hate him. So, unlike me and Tadase, who in the end both got together due to our mutual feelings for one another, Nagihiko confessed, and he was rejected harshly.

But, he didn't give up; he would follow Rima round faithfully, carrying her books, opening doors for her, baking her cakes and buying her the latest gag comic.

Usually, she asked him why he bothered: "Because I love you." he would say, "I told you, didn't I?"

To which, she would fiercely snatch her books back and storm off, with her face glowing with embarrassment and frustration -she wished he would stop saying that.

To poor Nagi's dismay, it wasn't 'til nearly a whole year later that his feelings were returned; Rima's birthday was probably the single most happiest day of his life.

**(Flashback)**

**"Calm down!" Kukai said to Nagihiko, using the hand that wasn't around Utau to slap him on the back, the poor guy was fidgeting with his fingers and tapping his foot with nervous anticipation, "She'll love it."**

**He gave him a tight smile to reassure her of his definite calmess.**

**He was right though; the garden was decorated with bright and bold balloons; not to mention that the cake that Nagihiko had baked especially looked scrumptious.**

**The banner and the cake both read the same line: 'Happy Birthday Rima-chan! ~'. The banner, had little messages written by each of the guardians around the sentence -even Kairi and Kukai. It was impossible for Rima not to love it.**

**Rima was led into the room by Yaya, with a purple blindfold tied over her eyes. When she was told she take it off, she dropped it to the floor and gasped; never had anyone made such a big deal out of her birthday. **

**"Y-you guys..." she gushed, wiping the tears of happiness with the back of her sleeve.**

**"Actually," Amu piped up, "It was Nagihiko who gave the idea and then brought it to life."**

**"Uhum, uhum," said Yaya, catching the gest of Amu's actions, "He was so worried you wouldn't like it, he almost drove us all insane."**

**Rima turned a colour which resembled Amu's hair or Tadase's eyes, "W-why?" she asked him, even though she was pretty sure what his answer would be.**

**"Because.." **

**"I love you." she completed for him, a smile tugging at her lips.**

**"Y-yeah.." he said sheepishly, folding his hands behind his back and helplessly smiling back at her.**

**She shook her head, "N-no, I-I mean... I-I d-do. Too."**

**Nagihiko's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat; did he hear her right? Had he finally broken through the barrier and dove straight into Mashiro Rima's heart? Had his efforts been worth it after all?**

**Before he would reply, Rima was up on her toes, catching his lips. **

**(End of Flashback)**

"H-Hey." I replied, avoiding to look him in the eyes.

Although long ago we all found out he _was _in fact Nadeshiko, Nagihiko seemed to have kept the famous, 'Woman's Intuiton' that mothers all seemed to talk about; that was one of the many things that led me to believe that somehow Nadeshiko was always a part of Nagi, and was still alive inside of him.

Which is why, as I made my way to my room, I avoided his gaze completely, looking only at the floor.

Although I was quite proud of myself for not looking at him directly, thus not giving anything away, he still found out.

"He's back isn't he?"

_Damn you internal Nadeshiko_, I thought as I turned to face Nagihiko stiffly, _I have underestimated your power yet again._

Briskly, I straightened up, casually ran my fingers through my hair and cleared my throat, "I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently, blinking to be even more careful to mask my raw, immature, child-like excitement.

Nagi scoffed, folding his arms across his chest and raising one eyebrow, as if to say: 'Puh-lease. Who do you think you're fooling?'; "You haven't looked this flustered since you were any age between 11-15." A small smile creeps up on his handsome face as he shakes his head at me.

Behind me, Rima is tugging at his sleeve, pouting and demanding to know what is going on like a spoilt, curious child that feels like it's missing out on an 'adult's joke'; Nagihiko looks even more amused and stands there with a knowing smile.

"Should I tell her, or should you?" I cursed both Nagihiko and Nadeshiko to the fiery pits of Hell for even mentioning it in front of the stubborn Rima -who, will not drop it after she finds out what is, in fact, going on.

I felt my cheeks fire up just like old times, and mimicked Nagi's position, still refusing to cave in and admit that _some_one is back. And not just only anyone, the _some_one who was my first love and first heartbreak simaltaneoulsy whilst still managing to pop in my mind every so often.

Nagi chuckled and leaned down slightly to tell the frustrated blonde beside him the news; "Ikuto's back." he says with an expression that shows disapprovement, but he's smiling and shaking his head at me, so I guess he's not _really _mad.

I guess it's strange how the sound of his name caused my knees to give in ever-so-slightly, and make my heart jump and punch against my ribcage, almost painfully.

Rima's mouth forms the shape of the letter 'O'; "No. Way." she gasped, and pulls me onto the couch, inquiring every last detail.


	4. Do I Have Something On My Face?

**A/N: Hm. Not much to rant about in this author's note. I **_**do **_**reccommend Kris Allen's 'No Boundaries', which I'm listening to now. GAHHH. I have to go to bed soon; don't wanna. I wanna write chapters all night! REVIEWWWWW!**

**- - -**

**(Amu POV)**

I had to re-tell the same story at least twice that same night; this is because, after I finished telling Rima and Nagihiko, Rima didn't miss a beat and invited Utau and Yaya over -now.

This ended up with two confused girls at our doorstep, due to the lack of information Rima had given them over the phone; it was only after Rima had sat them down that she declard the reason for the abrupt gathering. "Ikuto's back!" she had cried out dramatically.

Yaya gasped and automatically shot a glance at me; Utau just rolled her eyes and said, "I knew _that._"

We all snapped our heads round to her and she raised her eyebrows defensively and shuffled in her seat uncomfortably, "What?" she asked uncertainly, frowning slightly, "He _is _my brother after all."

I considered this, and supposed it was fair.

I felt kind of jealous that Ikuto hadn't tried to contact me, but then again, we never got up to a stage where we would exchange numbers. Come to think of it, we never got onto _any _stage. The connection we had was just that: a connection; it was just easier to be myself around Ikuto -I could just relax and not bother about being Cool 'n' Spicy. It helped that Ikuto saw me only as 'Amu', and not someone who could be depended on.

We all looked at each other and shrugged at Utau's comment. Still, she was one of my closest friends now, and I sorta wished she had told me.

Her violet eyes caught mine, "Sorry," she said right at me, obviously somehow reading my mind, "He told me not to tell you specifically."

I felt myself glowing with embarrassment and confusion; his expression was shocked after all when he saw me at the park, did he just not want to see me? What could I have done apart from have feelings for him in the past that could cause him to feel that way?

It must have been stamped on my face, because she quickly added, "He wanted to surprise you, he said."

Yaya nudged me and ooed teasingly. My cheeks increased their temperature and they all giggled at me like hormonal twelve year olds. Honestly, these girls who were meant to supposedly be 18-19 years old, they sounded years younger all of a sudden.

It seemed strange that even Utau was laughing; after Ikuto had left, she somehow managed to get over him just as I did. It was then that she realised how much she really enjoyed her and Kukai's 'Ramen Races'.

**(Flashback)**

**(Normal POV)**

**"And... GO!" he announced before rapidly -and unpolitely- stuffing his face with his medium size ramen; for some reason, when Utau glanced his way, she saw something different in Kukai.**

**Ever since she could remember, she'd only have eyes for Ikuto; for so long, no other guy was could ever compare to Ikuto when it came to attractiveness.**

**She always knew that Kukai was probably well-above average when it came to looks, it's just she was never interested. **

**Utau gazed at him while he scoffed down his noodles like he hadn't eaten for days; he caught her eye and stared back, confused.**

**As he swallowed, he winced; "What?" he said, his frown displaying confusion, as well as his eyes, "Do have something on my face?"**

**She giggled mischievously and smirked; Kukai felt a shiver run up and down his spine, not sure if it was due to fear or...**

**"Yes," she answered with a sly smile, "Sauce."**

**She reached over, cupped his chin and wiped the reddish/orangey smudge above his upper lip; taking advantage of her position, she swiftly leaned over and kissed him softly.**

**Overwhelmed by the rushing warmth gushing out of his heart, he numbly blinked when she pulled away.**

**Her face looked confident, but her cheeks were reddening furiously by the second; Utau looked away with a slight smug grin on her face, as if was proud she gathered the nerve to finally do it.**

**Kukai chuckled; Utau looked up.**

**"You have something on your lips." he pointed out sneakily, the same devilishly teasing tone that was ringing in her voice before.**

**Knitting her eyebrows she reached over his side for a napkin, "Sauce?"**

**"No." he replied, "Mine."**

**And they smiled and the connected with hers.**

**(End of Flashback)**

To be honest, I was glad when she and Kukai got together -he was the healthier option for her; he kept her smiling and dried her tears when it was needed.

Of course, she would occasionally cry when she missed Ikuto, but that was only natural. I'm sure I'd cry too if Ami decided to run away, left no record of where she was, and only called once in a blue moon.

"I wonder what he's planning." Rima said dreamily, "Maybe he'll take you to a foreign country."

"Maybe he'll have his way with you." Utau giggled, always the devious one.

"Maybe he'll propose!" Yaya squealed, and the all burst into hysterical high-pitched screams. Oh, very mature.

"Guys, get real," I said, rolling my eyes, still blushing violently, "I haven't seen him in 5 years."

"That's the beauty of it all." Nagi agreed, suddenly in the living room, cradling a bowl of popcorn and placing in on the wooden coffee table we surrounded. He winked at Rima and walked out of the room again.

I couldn't help but wonder why was it that while everyone's life was coming together nicely, mine was falling apart and spiralling out of my control. It was like Tadase ripped it into pieces, and I was chasing them in an autumn wind.

Rima had Nagi, Utau had Kukai and Kairi was the current object of Yaya's affections, he was just way too stupid to notice it. Who would have thought the inchou braniac was so slow when it came to not-so-subtle flirting.

Why was it that I was always the one with the complicated one? People treated me like the friggin' Messiah to all children of the world!

'I'm 11 years old!' I felt like screaming at them eventually, but the rush I got from the Open Haato never changed I guess; too bad I don't have any charas anymore, I could do with one right now.

And then, there was that _stupid, stupid _love triangle: Amu, Ikuto and Tadase. Why was I so complex as a child? Hell, why am I still so complex, _now_? Now, there was a threat that that love triangle will return, and it made me feel queasy.

Truth be told, I couldn't wait to see Ikuto. Just the thought of seeing him after all these years made me want to start dancing around like an idiot.

Somehow, though, I got the idea he probably didn't feel the same; it made my mood droop slightly. _Slightly._

"Ah look at Amu-chan!" Yaya cooed, inches from my face, "Your eyes are dancing."

Our little get together soon turned into a sleepover, since it became way too late for them to walk back by themselves. I fell asleep, ironically, on Utau.

It was moments like this, silly moments like this, simple moments like this, that I learned to appreciate a long time ago.


End file.
